Accidence— Tlie Table Manners of Language 127

given in a dictionary, (ft) flexional derivatives which stall affect the
meaning of a statement.

To the first class belong the personal pronouns It should be our
fiist task to memorize them, because we have to use them constantly,
and because they often have case-forms which are not recognizably like
the dictionary word. Fortunately they are not numerous. The accom-
panying tables give their equivalents in the Teutonic languages Their
Romance equivalents are on pp 331, 332, 363, 369, 372 In subsequent
chapters the Loom will set out the minimum of grammar necessary for
the reader who wants to get a reading or writing knowledge of them.

TEUTONIC POSSESSIVES*

LNGLISH
SWEDISH
DANISH
DUTCH
GERMAN

my
mm (etc )
myn \
mein (etc )

(thy)
Dm (etc )
JWU)
dein (etc )

our
vdr (etc )
vor (etc )
onze 01 ons (n)
unser (etc )

your
Ei (etc )
De?cs
Uw
Ihr (etc )

his
hans
zijn
sera (etc )

her
hermes
hendes
haar
ihr (etc )

its
dess
dens
zijn
sein (etc )

their
deras
deres
hnn
ihr (etc )

Those italicized have neuter
fLike other adjec-
These have case

singular and plural forms
tives take -e in
as well as gender

min-mma or mit-minr, van-
plural
andnumberforms

vai a or oort-vore The form

(p 295) and are

given is the common sin-

declined like ein>

gular Dm and Er behave

e g unser, unsere.

like mm and var respectively

unser The form

given is the masc

nomin sing

* Swedish and Danish have no special mine, ours, etc , forms German has
a triple set of possessive pronouns Two of them follow the declension of the
weak adjective and are used after the definite article (e g der nmnige or del
meine), the third behaves like the strong adjective and appears when nor pre-
ceded by der> d^e, das (e g memer* mewe, meinei)
When you have memorized the pronouns m their appropriate situa-
tions, concentrate on the following. Fust, leain the plural forms of the
noun, because the difference between one dollar and several dollars is
often important. Then leain to recognise and to recall the helpei verbs,
such as the equivalents of shall, will, have, and w, etc ^ how to use them,
and with what forms of other verbs (participles or infinitive) they keep